The Texas Youth Commission

1. According to the author, our explanations of social problems, for the most part, are based on all the following except:

Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth, by John Hubner, follows Hubner as he observes the “worst of the worst” juvenile offenders at Giddings State School. This treatment program is truly a “last chance” for may of the adolescents there – their last chance to change the direction of their lives before ending up in jail. Hubner takes the reader through a gripping and emotional journey as the teenagers go through the Capitol Offenders group and delve into their past hurts, childhood years, and reasons that contributed to their involvement in crime. Each member of the group must tell their life story and crime story and relive them by observing both in a drama, as well as participating in

The policy is the Pennsylvania State Code, chapter 3490 for protective services. This law applies to all departments or agencies that provide services to children and youth. Employees may include law officials, public/private schooling, and any professional employees that come in contact with children (The PA code, 3490). The code states that when a child is taken into protective custody it is the obligation of the agency to provide visitation between the parent/siblings and child at least twice a month. The rationale behind this code is to protect the relationship between the parent and child in the reunification process.

I decided to do my field study at the Boys Ranch Town (BRT), which is a residential private facility that houses boys that have low level behavior issues or simply don’t have a home to go to. BRT is apart of Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC) they get all of their funding from donors who appreciate that things that OBHC and BRT are doing for the community. BRT is on a working ranch in which the boys live on and help maintain. The Boys Ranch accepts boys from ages 9-15, but residents can live on the campus until they graduate high school. The average length of stay is about 18 months.

Texas Prison System becomes something from the past, and the private prison system becomes the future due to limited budgets and events? Squaring off the full cost of state prisons in Texas requires accounting for expenditures in all areas of government that support the prison system not merely those within the corrections budget. “Due to supplementary budget to taxpayers can include expenses consolidated for governmental determinations such as employee benefits and capital costs, and services for inmates funded through other agencies. The prison also costs the cost of subversive, contributions to corrections wage earner pensions and retiree health care plans; states must pay the remainder of those contributions in the future.”(n.d.)

In Spring 2009, three offenders, all in grade eleven , set two houses is Sherwood park on fire. The youth criminal justice Act (YCJA) provided opportunities for them to reintegrate and rehabilitate, instead of throwing them in jail. YCJA covers kids between the ages twelve to seventeen years old. It 's purpose is to handle youth offenders more differently than adults because of their undeveloped minds. The YCJA was released back in 2003. By protecting the rights and providing Youth Canadians the support they need, the YCJA benefits the offenders in a positive way. The act gentrust the youth a second chance to make sure they don 't reoffend by rehabilitating and reintegrating them. Also youth over the age 14 years can get an adult sentence if necessary. Therefore, the YCJA is an effective law because it supports everyone; youth will acquire the help they need and Public Safety is insured.

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is the principal federal program through which the federal government sets standards for juvenile justice systems at the state and local levels. It provides direct funding for states, research, training, and technical assistance, and evaluation. The JJDPA was originally enacted in 1974 and even though the JJDPA has been revised several times over the past 30 years, its basic composition has remained the same. Since the act was passed in 1974, the JJDPA focused solitary on preventing juvenile delinquency and on rehabilitating juvenile offenders.

Juvenile justice settings, especially in Texas, were not designed as sites for comprehensive psychological and psychiatric treatment of adolescents’ mental disorders. On national, state, and local levels there has been a major increase in the interest of mental health needs within the juvenile justice system. Evidence-based research and data has become more available with societies interest into this matter. A continuous struggle with Texas policymakers and officials is identifying and properly treating mentally ill juveniles and keeping them out of the justice system. Acknowledging established data and comparing it to current Texas mandates helps seek recommendations for improvement within all levels and jurisdictions of the Texas juvenile justice system.

It is important to understand what it means to contract correctional institutions out to private ownership. Most of the current prisons that have been contracted out run on a similar contract. A private entity either builds a prison to house inmates or is given control of an already built prison. The private corporation is then paid a base dollar amount for each prisoner they house in the facility.

Texas has a reputation throughout history of differing views from the federal government in laws and politics pertaining to social, fiscal, and educational issues. On the whole, Texas operates as a largely conservative state. Because of this, policy-making is often right wing. With the institution of a Democratic, liberal president, the State’s dissent from the Federal government has only increased over certain issues. One hot topic of the 2012 Presidential election was immigration. With the major increase in immigration, it is no surprise that the issue was so emphasized. Between 2000 and 2011 there was a 30 percent

The goals of correction are retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation and restoration. The correction system restricts the freedom of those found guilty of a crime for the safety of society and prepares those imprisoned to re-enter back into society. The Rehabilitative Era and medical model offer the most appropriate means to accomplish correction.

The private prison company GEO Group, would have to sacrifice more than the other stakeholder. Their goal, which is quoted from the GEO Group website is "...to help our clients serve those assigned to their care through a wide range of diversified services including...state and federal prisons, detention centers...and other special needs institutions...". Although the company already has detention centers for juveniles, they still allow the

Alternative programs for youth were developed for mild and less serious delinquents. Over the years, the program has seen a surge in electronic home monitoring, community intensive supervision programs which service serious offenders in addition to minor cases. At times, group homes may house repeated youth offenders. Regardless of the placement, 24-hour supervision is provided in a unique way.

For starters, contact with a police officer often is a young person 's introduction to the juvenile justice system police account for most referrals to juvenile court. Law enforcement 's role with boys and girls under the age of eighteen is challenging because there are laws that federally protect youth that commit serious crimes and attempts to aid them in a road to recovery to return to their communities. Police officers generally summon young offenders to the police department 's juvenile division to question them and if necessary, confine them. At the time of an arrest, officers decide whether to refer young offenders to juvenile court or to send the case to the justice system.

Two dominant theories of social problems grew out of the structural-functionalist perspective: social pathology and social disorganization.